Activities for the distance learning or social distancing classroom!
The first day of school is always a whirlwind of rules, organizing, procedures, and most importantly getting to know each other.
It’s important to plan a variety of icebreakers for the first day of school.
In fact, the icebreakers should continue throughout the first and second week of school.
It is imperative to build a classroom community during those first two weeks of school. Consequently, it sets the tone for the whole school year.
The first day of school this year, 2020 could be slightly different. We may only have half our class or could be conducting our class meeting via Zoom.
Regardless of the structure, it is still important to implement icebreakers.
A Name Game
It’s always fun to start the year with a game to learn everyone’s name. I have two icebreakers that I use to help students in my fourth grade class learn each other’s names.
Circle of Names
- Go around the circle and each student says their name, but there’s a catch not only does the student say his/her name, they also have to say the person’s name who is sitting next to them, and all the other names of people who have gone before them.
So the first person will have the easiest time, and the last will have the most difficulty because they have to know everyone’s name in the circle.
Of course, everyone helps each other as they go around.
Finally, the teacher always goes last and says everyone’s name in the circle
*This game could also be played on a Zoom meeting.
Spider Web
- One student holds a ball of yarn. They state their name and then throw the ball of yarn to a student across the circle from them, but they hold onto a piece of yarn. Each student says their name, holds onto a piece of yarn, and throws the ball of yarn to another student creating a spider web.
- Then the teacher explains that the class is now woven together like a spider web. Since we all spend so much time together each day, we are connected with one another like the delicate weave of a web.
This or That
This or That is a fun way for students to get to know the likes and dislikes of their classmates. You can find the PDF or Google classroom version of This or That here: This or That Back to School Activities
There are several ways it can be used in your classroom or even virtually the first week of school.
- Have students fill out This or That individually. Then put students in small groups to share and compare their picks. This gives students the chance to see who is like them.
- Students sit with a partner and fill out This or That together, discussing the options and learning more about one another.
- Laminate the cards and put them in a station at the beginning of the school year. Students can rotate through the station, discussing their answers with a partner, or completing independently.
- The teacher can project the activity on the board and students can stand on either side of the room based on their answer choice.
- Students complete independently on SeeSaw or Google Classroom. Then at a Zoom class meeting everyone can share their answers.
*An excellent way to get to know each other virtually.
Find a Friend
In the Find a Friend activity, students roam around the classroom freely. They ask other students about the information on the paper and find a friend to sign their name in a box that describes them. It can be fun to make this activity a race to see who can get their paper filled in the fastest.
*This activity could be done in a Zoom meeting with the teacher reading off the boxes and students filling it in at home with their friends’ names.
Interview a Friend
Students select one partner and ask them the questions on the Interview a Friend paper. Also, they can ask their own questions such as: how old are you?, how many siblings do you have?, what’s your favorite subject?, etc.
Then students can share what they learned about their partners in front of the class. It can be a lot less intimidating to talk about someone else in front of a group of people than to talk about yourself.
If you are searching for Back to School Activities, check out my: Back to School Activities BUNDLE
*If necessary, this activity could be conducted on private Zoom meetings or a phone call between the two students. Then the answer can be shared with the class during a Zoom meeting.
Throw a Ball, Answer a Question
In this activity, students sit in a circle. The teacher asks one question and the ball is tossed around the circle. When a student catches the ball, they answer the question and toss the ball to another student.
The teacher will switch up the question every five students.
Get to Know Your Teacher
It’s important for students to get to know one another in the first few weeks of school, but it’s also important that they get to know their teacher.
A fun and interactive way to do this is to create a Kahoot or Quizz about yourself.
The class can take the Kahoot together, and the teacher can elaborate on her answers.
*If school is virtual, the teacher can assign a Quizz, so students can take it on their own time. Then go over the answers at a class meeting.
Icebreaker activities are necessary during the first week of school. They help students get to know their classmates and build a classroom community.
Looking for more fun, easy digital activities for back to school, check out this amazing blog post from Kayleigh at Inspire Teach Grow: 6 Back to School Activities that are Easy and Digital
If you are looking for more information on the first day of school, my First Day of 4th Grade blog post will help guide you through the whole first day!
